Employees of the Canada Post office on Kingsview Boulevard were evacuated while Airdrie RCMP investigated a suspicious package leaking a white powder May 15. The building was reopened nearly two hours later as the substance was deemed “non-toxic.”

Dustin Ruth/Rocky View Publishing

Airdrie’s Canada Post office was evacuated for nearly two hours May 15 as Airdrie RCMP investigated a potential threat posed by a suspicious package.

“It could have been anything… so all proper precautions were taken,” he said. “In today’s day and age, you kind of have to be cautious.”

Hazmat experts were consulted to access the substance while Airdrie Fire and EMS assessed the well-being of employees who may have been exposed, he said.

Though the exact nature of the material remained unknown, Martin said further investigation determined it was a non-toxic supplement.

“The post office is back open and everybody is A-OK,” he said.

Arson charge

Airdrie RCMP has charged a 35-year-old local man with arson following two fires at a Silver Spring Way residence in 2016 on April 13 and Dec. 31.

Following a joint investigation conducted by the Airdrie Fire Department and Airdrie RCMP, Shaun Lee Sandbach was charged with two counts of arson for a fraudulent purpose for allegedly setting fire to his own home.

The investigation also resulted in further charges, including two counts of possession of incendiary material and three counts of fraud over $5,000.

Sandbach was also charged with three counts of false pretences “due (to) his alleged purchasing of the material to burn his own property and attempting to have insurance cover the cost of the fire,” according to an RCMP release.

An incident from 2015 where Sandbach contacted Airdrie RCMP to report his vehicle was allegedly stolen after being held at gunpoint has also resulted in a charge of public mischief.

“His claim was investigated thoroughly by Airdrie RCMP and was determined to be false,” according to an RCMP release.

Sandbach was released on the condition he appear in Airdrie Provincial Court June 1.

Liquor store robbed

Airdrie RCMP is asking for the public’s help identifying a man who robbed the S and S Liquor on Stonegate Drive May 11.

At approximately 12:50 a.m., the suspect allegedly entered the store alone and “forcibly stole the cash register” before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash in an older model four-door vehicle, according to an Airdrie RCMP press release.

The suspect is described as a clean-shaven Caucasian man with an athletic build, standing six feet tall. He was wearing a hooded dark sweater.

Potential links between this robbery and the armed robberies of two liquor stores in Cochrane that occurred in the late evening and early morning hours of May 10 and 11 are also being investigated by RCMP, Martin said.

At 11:30 p.m. May 10, the suspect allegedly entered the first Cochrane liquor store with a small knife and stole an undisclosed amount of cash, according to Cochrane RCMP Const. Kary Moore.

The suspect is described as Caucasian and approximately 6’5”. He was wearing a dark hoodie and pants.

Approximately 30 minutes later, Cochrane RCMP officers responded to an armed robbery at a second liquor store.

The suspect allegedly entered the store with a small knife, demanding money, but the clerk did not comply, resulting in a short altercation.

Though the suspects in all three incidents “look very similar,” Martin said the surveillance footage from the Airdrie incident is not as clear as the Cochrane armed robberies.

“It looks like the same guy, but we can’t say definitively if it is,” he said.

- with files from Paul McAleer

If you have any information about any crime, contact the Airdrie RCMP Detachment at (403) 945-7200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at tipsubmit.com.

Farmers’ market customers will soon be able to pick up local beer and liquor with their fruit and vegetables.

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